Paralympic, Raimondi-Ceccon swimming, a film to tell two dreams

From medals to docufilm, in the name of inclusion. “1 History, 2 Olympics: Stefano Raimondi – Thomas Ceccon a road to two dreams” was presented in the Tapestry Room in Verona, a story of friendship, dreams, sacrifice, sport of two boys who got on the podium of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Conceived by Alessandro Amato and made by director Antonio Covato, in 35 minutes the documentary tells the story of the two swimmers and, in particular, the path they shared for the preparation of their respective Olympics. Stefano and Thomas were followed during their typical day in training, in and out of the water, also listening to the story of both everyday life, a storytelling about their initial memories, of when they started swimming and how they approached them. to the world of water, to the point of telling what the expected results at the Olympics were.

Without barriers

—

The water therefore broke down all the barriers, thanks to the two young swimmers trained by the technicians Alberto Burlina for Ceccon, and Marcello Rigamonti for Raimondi, for a project that in three years of training has combined an able-bodied blue and a Paralympic in the lanes of the center federation of Verona named after Alberto Castagnetti, a structure that hosts the training of the athletes of the Leosport club as well as the other champions during the pandemic. The two swimmers achieved very important results at the Olympic Games held in Tokyo. Stefano Raimondi, born in 1998, won 7 medals at the Paralympics, one gold, four and two bronzes, making it the most successful blue. Ceccon instead, born in 2001, at the Olympics won a silver in the 4×100 sl and a bronze in the 4×100 mixed. The docufilm will be broadcast on multiple channels, will be screened at specific festivals and events, with the aim of raising funds and helping sports facilities penalized by the year and a half of closure due to pandemic.

Olympic Verona

—

The presentation was attended by the mayor Federico Sboarina, the councilor for sport Filippo Rando, the FINP Veneto Delegate of the Italian Paralympic Swimming Federation Sandra Benet, the councilor of Agsm Aim Francesca Vanzo, the coaches Riccardo Venter and Marcello Rigamonti, the two protagonists of the work , the director Antonio Covato and the creator of the docufilm Alessandro Amato. The swimmers were awarded an award for their important achievements. “Today many stories intertwine in this room – says Mayor Sboarina -. The personal and sporting one of the two athletes, that of sport that returns as a protagonist in the life of all of us, and that that Verona is called to live as an Olympic city in all respects. In fact, in 2026 our amphitheater will not only host the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, but also the opening ceremony of the Paralympics. A pride for our city, but above all an important opportunity to put the two events on the same level and give equal dignity and prestige to all athletes. There is a common thread that unites all athletes, of all levels and physical conditions, is the desire and desire to overcome themselves and their limits, as the story told in the docufilm perfectly demonstrates “. “Presenting a documentary film like this can only be good for the world of sport – said Councilor Rando -. First of all for the result achieved by Stefano and Thomas for Verona and Italy, but above all for the values ​​that go beyond sporting performance, not only for inclusiveness but also for the possibilities that sport gives to overcome its limits. . An example for young people and for many people who may be in difficulty right now, these stories are proof that everyone can do it “. And the creator Amato: “This story was born about three years ago without calculations and in a natural way. The needs of sport have united the stories of the boys, without any difference in categories. A project was therefore not imagined, but naturally the need to make a journey together. In a period in which the swimming pools were in difficulty without knowing when to reopen, with few sponsors and assistance, we decided to tell this story with the director Covato, to show how sport can unite everyone, regardless of categories and conditions “.